What the Blue Jays did during the offseason

What the Blue Jays did during the offseason

The Toronto Blue Jays’ regular season gets underway on March 29th, with a home opener against the Yankees. Last year was a bit of a comedown: after making the playoffs in the previous two seasons, Toronto finished fourth in its division. The team may have been a little dispirited by the lack of postseason baseball, but they still found some creative ways to keep themselves occupied during the offseason.

Josh Donaldson isn’t officially a Canadian citizen, but he may as well be. The Bringer of Rain did what any Canadian would do during the Christmas break: play some road hockey.

Had a Merry Christmas ✅ Street Hockey✅ Happy holidays to everyone.

A post shared by Josh Donaldson (@tos_bor20) on

Yes, that’s Blue Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki. He spends the offseason living in Vegas. It was a little odd to see him wearing Golden Knights gear, though, because the team happened to be playing the Maple Leafs that night:

Speaking of hockey, Donaldson was like Polkaroo, showing up unexpectedly at a Lightning/Canucks game to crash this interview with Canadian PGA pro Adam Hadwin:

Along the way, someone decided “goat yoga” was officially a thing. Marcus Stroman gave it a shot and shared his experience with the world:

The Suicide Squad movie was an unmitigated train wreck, but it inspired Donaldson and his partner, Briana Miller, to wear these Joker and Harley Quinn Halloween costumes:

Why so serious??#suicidesquad

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Being a Major League Baseball player comes with a few luxuries. Roberto Osuna landed an endorsement deal with Jaguar:

At the same time, he was happy to play Santa and give back to the kids in Los Mochis, Mexico, his hometown.

Some pitchers use the offseason to add a new pitch to their repertoire. Aaron Sanchez added a new bundle of joy to his family unit:

Sanchez wasn’t the only Blue Jays player to add another roster spot to his family. Centre fielder Kevin Pillar has a new baby girl:

Daddy’s girl

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Yangervis Solarte, who’s new to the team, kept in shape this offseason by putting his entire family on his back:

Low-key house party for New Year’s Eve? Not for this guy. Marcus Stroman rung in the New Year in Dubai.

This tweet didn’t age well, did it?

It’s common to see Toronto Blue Jays players courtside at Toronto Raptors games, and vice versa. Here are two of 2017’s most successful Toronto pro athletes together at one event: Kyle Lowry and Marcus Stroman.

Several Blue Jays players travelled to Vancouver on the club’s annual Winter Tour. Marco Estrada, Dalton Pompey, Aaron Sanchez and Justin Smoak served up meals at Ronald McDonald House:

Jose Bautista’s wedding was a star-studded affair. He isn’t back in a Blue Jays uniform this year, but many of his former teammates were on the guest list: Marcus Stroman, Devon Travis, Jose Reyes and Russell Martin among them:

Landing a video game cover is one of the highest personal accolades a baseball player can earn. Stroman continued his whirlwind 2017 by announcing he’s the latest cover athlete for the Canadian edition of MLB The Show.